Recap / House of the Dragon S1 E4: "King of the Narrow Sea"

"The truth does not matter, Rhaenyra. Only perception."

— Viserys

It is now a year since Rhaenyra saw the White Hart and Daemon, Corlys, and Laenor defeated the forces of the Triarchy.

Rhaenyra presides over a line of noble suitors at Storm's End and grows increasingly dissatisfied with them. After a fatal brawl between two of them, she decides to cut her tour of the country short and sets sail for King's Landing.

Also arriving at King's Landing is Daemon, victorious from the war in the Stepstones. In the wake of the Crabfeeder's death he has been made "King of the Narrow Sea" and now wears his own crown. To the shock of the court, he bends the knee to Viserys and declares his loyalty.

Viserys is initially pleased to have his brother back at court and throws him a soirée. At this event, Alicent and Rhaenyra discuss the prospect of Rhaenyra's marriage, their first friendly overture in some time. After the party, Rhaenyra talks about marriage with Daemon, who considers it a political arrangement; Rhaenyra points out that her mother was killed by the need for an heir and states her intentions to be single and childless to avoid such a fate.

Later that night, the Small Council reports that Corlys Velaryon is weighing an alliance with Braavos and cites the need to smooth things over with him.

Rhaenyra sneaks out of the Red Keep with Daemon, disguised as smallfolk. He takes her to the underbelly of King's Landing. The two watch a show about the matter of Viserys's succession, and Rhaenyra sees that the smallfolk are not receptive to the idea of a queen and prefer her half-brother Aegon merely for being male. The two go to a brothel, where Daemon points out the importance of pleasure. He kisses his niece and the two get more and more intimate, only for Daemon to abruptly stop. This is intercut with a Contrast Montage of Alicent being summoned for unsatisfying intercourse with Viserys.

Frustrated, Rhaenyra returns to the Red Keep, not caring to keep her disguise on and not noticing that an informant has seen her depart. Upon returning to her quarters, she has sex with Criston Cole in an act of Retargeted Lust.

Early the next day, a hungover Daemon snubs Mysaria. Otto Hightower reports Daemon's and Rhaenyra's unseemly behavior to the King, who is enraged. Alicent overhears this and confronts Rhaenyra, who swears that Daemon did not deflower her.

Viserys has his brother forcibly summoned to the throne room and confronts him about his behavior. Daemon asks for Rhaenyra's hand. Viserys realizes that Daemon's plan all along was to make a play for the Iron Throne and once again banishes him from the Red Keep.

Viserys summons Rhaenyra to his quarters, where he stresses that the Targaryen duty includes not only holding the realm together but also eventually spawning the Prince That Was Promised. He tells her that disinheriting her would cause instability and so he plans to kill two birds with one stone by wedding her to Corlys's son Laenor. Rhaenyra agrees but points out Otto's self-serving actions in turn. Viserys relieves Otto of his position as Hand.

Viserys sends the Grand Maester to Rhaenyra's chambers with Fantasy Contraception.

---

Tropes in this episode:

• Actually Pretty Funny: Despite her dissatifaction with her parade of suitors, Rhaenyra laughs when one of them, Jerrel Bracken, mocks Willem Blackwood's proposal.
• Adaptational Badass: In Fire & Blood, Rhaenyra's Bracken and Blackwood suitors end up in a duel, with the Bracken prevailing. Here, not only does the Blackwood win, the Bracken is in all likelihood dead.
• Altar Diplomacy:
  • Rhaenyra and Daemon discuss this, with Daemon calling marriage a political arrangement and Rhaenyra saying that it's only so for men and a death sentence for women, bringing up how her mother had to produce heirs until it killed her.
  • Later on in the episode, Viserys orders Rhaenyra to marry Ser Laenor Velaryon both to appease Lord Corlys and to clear the air regarding the pleasure house incident.
• Asshole Victim: Jerrel Bracken heckles the young Lord Blackwood, who nobly tries to brush it off in front of the princess. However, it becomes a true issue of honor once Jerrel calls him a "craven." Blackwood proves him wrong.
• Awful Wedded Life: The marriage of Viserys and Alicent is revealed to be a downplayed example of this. He mocks her for thinking Daemon would be interested in tapestries when he's drunk at Daemon's welcome home party. Alicent is dutiful and loyal, but during their sex scene, she has a depressed Thousand-Yard Stare until she makes herself smile at the end. And while it's more subtle on Viserys's end, when he's firing Otto, he does bring up his marriage in less-than-favorable terms, calling it a political machination of Otto's.
  Viserys: I will never recover from Aemma's death. But Alicent... she took me through the worst of my grief. She was a calculated distraction. I only now realize how well-calculated it was.
  Otto: That is an absurdity. The Queen loves you... as I know you love her.
• Baby Factory: When Alicent calls suitors fawning over her romantic, Rhaenyra tells her that they only want her name and Valyrian blood for their offspring. When Rhaenyra mocks how "romantic" it is to be imprisoned in a castle to squeeze out heirs, it understandably makes Alicent visibly upset, with Rhaenyra apologizing shortly after realizing she hurt her feelings given that she just described Alicent's own situation.
• Bait-and-Switch: After one too many insults from a rival suitor for Rhaenyra's hand, Willem Blackwood (who's barely hit puberty) impulsively draws his sword on him. As Rhaenyra and Criston prepare to leave, the fight goes on in the background, and it seems like Blackwood is about to get thrashed — only for him to stab his opponent in the chest and leave him to choke on his own blood.
• Bookcase Passage: Rhaenyra's bedroom has a secret passage which leads to some door out of the castle that's not guarded. She and Daemon use this route to surreptitiously leave the Red Keep to go on their date.
• Broken Aesop: Daemon tries to impart to Rhaenyra his perspective that Sex Is Liberation. He does this by telling her sex is pleasurable for women too... and taking her to a brothel, where women have sex for money — not pleasure — and are payed to fulfill men's desires and pretend they like it. Justified Trope because as a wealthy, powerful man, it makes sense that Daemon would experience a brothel as the pinnacle of Sex Is Liberation — it's set up to cater to him. And Daemon being so self-centered that he never gave the prostitutes' perspective any thought is very in-character.
• Cincinnatus: Viserys has previously accused Daemon of coveting his crown. Now, Daemon has won himself a kingdom in the Stepstones. If Daemon really wanted to be a king, this is his opportunity. Instead he abdicates. He doesn't actually want to be a king—he wants to hang out at court, cause mischief, and bang Rhaenyra.
  Viserys: Who holds the Stepstones?
  Daemon: The tides, the crabs, and 2,000 dead Triarchy corsairs, staked to the sand to warn those who might follow.
• Compressed Adaptation: In the book, Daemon spends 6 months back at court before being banished again for screwing around with Rhaenyra. In the show, he lasts all of one day.
• Confess to a Lesser Crime: When Alicent confronts her, Rhaenyra admits that she snuck out with Daemon and went to a brothel but convincingly denies that anything happened between them.
• Conlang: This episode contains the first examples of written Valyrian, developed by David J. Peterson. Daemon leaves Rhaenyra a note, and there's a dagger with writing on it.
• Contrast Montage: Alicent having reluctant, dispassionate sex with Viserys is intercut with the licentious sex that goes on in the brothel. Viserys's back is covered in wounds, while everyone at the brothel is beautiful. The former is seen through Alicent's eyes, with the focus on how she doesn't want this and is doing it out of duty. The latter is seen through Rhaenyra's eyes, who's being shown this by Daemon and thus sees it as he sees it: as a symbol of Sex Is Liberation. (The Fridge Horror is how similar both scenes actually are. Viserys and Daemon are both powerful royals who act out their desire on women who don't reciprocate and have to be convinced by other means—Alicent compelled by duty, and the prostitutes compelled by money. Daemon is teaching Rhaenyra that this is what Targaryens do. She learns the lesson well, and proceeds to strong-arm Criston—yet another reluctant person of much lower status—into sex.)
• David Versus Goliath: A tiny and teenaged Lord Blackwood challenging a huge, confident Bracken knight to a fight sounds like a humiliating stomp, but it's the larger man that ends up mortally wounded. The David seems surprised by his own success and unsure what to do now.
• Defiled Forever: Both Alicent and Viserys point out to Rhaenyra that she'll be seen as "ruined" just for being seen in the pleasure house with Daemon regardless of whether she actually had sex with him. Invoked Trope by Daemon, since his motivation for taking Rhaenyra to the pleasure house was to force an Honorable Marriage Proposal between the two of them.^{From the books...} If you're wondering why they don't just have a maester check if Rhaenyra's hymen is still physically intact, the books state that most noblewomen break their hymen at a young age due to all of the horseback riding they do. When Cersei is looking for any scrap of information to use against Margaery Tyrell, her maester reports that Margaery doesn't have an intact hymen - but Cersei of all people dismisses this out of hand, because it's so common for noblewomen to break it riding. In Westeros, when a bride says she is a virgin on her wedding night the groom pretty much just has to take her word for it.
• Deliberate Values Dissonance:
  • Viserys is upset with Daemon for possibly taking Rhaenyra's virginity. The problem is that Daemon is not a viable suitor for Rhaenyra because he's already married — not because he's her uncle, that would be fine if he were single. The showrunners directly point out in the "Inside the Episode" video that they actively avoided presenting this as Creepy Uncle incestuous abuse, because this is just how Targaryens roll. That said, non-Targaryen Alicent seems a tad skeeved out by the incest angle.
  • Based on their reactions to the street play, it's very clear that even the common folk of King's Landing believe firmly in the Heir Club for Men, and regard Rhaenyra as a usurper in the making for still being her father's heir when she has a younger brother who by tradition should rightfully inherit the crown. Also, they assume she will not be a strong ruler because she is female, which, in addition to the values dissonance, highlights how none of them actually know her beyond her decorative role as "the Realm's Delight".
  • Most would consider stabbing someone to death for calling you a craven a tad excessive but if you live in a feudal society obsessed with martial valor, accepting the characterization of coward from your family's worst rival would make you seem weak.^{From the books...} The Blackwoods and Brackens are two prominent Riverlands houses who have been Feuding Families since long before the Conquest — for over a thousand years, according to some. While numerous attempts to make lasting peace between them have failed, there was one attempt which succeeded for 50 years and it was brokered by Jaehaerys, which helps to cement his status as the best Targaryen monarch.
• Didn't Think This Through: Rhaenyra—who we are reminded is uniquely afraid of pregnancy after what happened to her mother—has sex. While their universe does have Fantasy Contraception, she doesn't find out about that until afterwards.
• Doomsayer: A slum witch with her eyelids painted black gives Rhaenyra this unsettling offer.
  Hag: Would you wish to know your death, child?^note Ominously, this dialogue is book-ended by dragon gargoyles breathing fire. Readers of Fire & Blood know exactly how it goes down.
• Double Standard: As Rhaenyra says, a man in her position could go to as many brothels as he liked without fear of anything but potentially siring some bastards and would not suffer politically even if that happened. Daemon even points out to Viserys earlier in the episode that they both used to go slumming in the city all the time when they were younger. As a woman, however, if it were widely known Rhaenyra's virginity had been taken outside of wedlock, she would be considered Defiled Forever and lose much of her power and standing because it would call into question the true parentage of any of her future children. Rhaenyra is angry at society and everyone about this. This makes the final scene of the episode very sobering for her, as it begins to Deconstruct this double standard. When the Maester brings her Fantasy Contraception, it's a harsh reminder that the consequences of sex are biologically asymmetrical and that's intractable in a way that's much harder to rail against.
• Exact Words: Subverted in two cases in which a speaker attempts a half-truth, only to resort to an outright lie when pressed:
  • When Otto reports on Rhaenyra and Daemon to Viserys, he initially says, "They were engaged in behaviors unbecoming of a maiden"—a phrase that could reasonably describe what actually happened (the two of them making out while Daemon began to undress Rhaenyra). However, Viserys keeps pushing, insisting Otto dispense with the euphemisms and say exactly what happened. Under pressure, Otto then says they were seen "coupling"—which is not true.
  • During the conversation between Alicent and Rhaenyra, Alicent names the allegation: "That you fucked Daemon in a pleasure house." Rhaenyra truthfully denies it—she didn't, Daemon blue-balled her. But as the conversation goes on and Alicent keeps pressing, Rhaenyra eventually goes so far as to say "Daemon never touched me"—which is untrue. Rhaenyra then doubles down on this lie, adding, "I swear this to you upon the memory of my mother!"
• Expository Hairstyle Change: After defeating the Triarchy and getting named "King of the Narrow Sea" for it, Daemon now has traded his long hair for a shorter hairstyle.
• Fan Disservice:
  • The scene of Daemon and Rhaenyra getting a little frisky, already undercut by the grim direction and the fact they are related, is made even less sexy when cut back and forth with the cold dispassionate sex between the royal couple, with Alicent's Thousand-Yard Stare and a full view of Viserys's disgustingly rotted back.
  • Criston also appears to be uncomfortable (at first) when Rhaenyra effectively coerces him into having sex with her.
• Fantasy Contraception: Maester Mellos brings Rhaenyra a tea to be taken in the style of a morning-after pill. If Rhaenyra drinks it, that's an admission she had sex. If she doesn't, that would bolster her innocence but risks pregnancy. The scene ends there without seeing what she decides. In the books, it's called "moon tea". It's implied to be a very early-term abortifacient to be taken preemptively weeks before a period or lack thereof denies or confirms pregnancy. While in this case it's handwaved, there's some acknowledgement of the idea that it's not perfect when Mellos says it has to be prepared very carefully and otherwise it can be either ineffective or dangerous.
• Farce: Daemon and Rhaenyra watch the performance of a farce satirizing a Succession Crisis between Rhaenyra, Daemon, and baby Aegon.
• Female Gaze: This is the first episode in the franchise with a female director since Season 4 of the original series (which only ever had one female director). New director Clare Kilner discusses in the "Inside the Episode" video how she was actively trying to implement female gaze, in contrast to how prior sex scenes were handled. As a result, Rhaenyra's and Daemon's time in the brothel is seen through her point of view, as she witnesses both men and women equally enjoying sex, while her tryst with Daemon is focused on the way he touches her, their kisses, and Rhaenyra experiencing sexual pleasure for the first time.
  Clare Kilner: Directing scenes like that can be really difficult. It's a big responsibility, and it's important to shoot it from the right point of view. Being a female director, I've grown up watching how male directors have directed sex scenes and, as a woman, I have to really think about how to shoot it because my go-to images are ones that I grew up with, which aren't necessarily from a woman's point of view. Now we're at a point where we're like, "No. What is the woman's point of view here?" And it was really important for it to be a scene where people were equally enjoying themselves and freeing themselves from the constraints of the world that they'd been living in.
• Feuding Families: This episode showcases just how bitter the long-running rivalry between House Blackwood and House Bracken is when the teenaged Lord Blackwood guts a Bracken knight for one too many japes in front of the princess.
• Firing Day: Viserys dismisses Otto as Hand of the King after Rhaenyra accuses him of being overly ambitious to their family's detriment, using his recent accusations against her as evidence.
• Foreshadowing:
  • While Rhaenyra receives all her uninspiring suitors, she fingers her necklace from Daemon.
  • In the Throne Room, Viserys intimidatingly uses Blackfyre as a cane to approach Daemon.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus: The suitors to Rhaenyra's hand in Storm's End during the opening scene can be identified by their sigils—some of whom we even met in Game of Thrones:
  • A man of House Mooton of Maidenpool, with a sigil featuring a salmon leaping to the right; ^{From the books...} This is in contrast to the more popular House Tully sigil, a trout leaping to the left. Centuries later, Arya Stark would originally claim to be from here before being sussed out by Tywin Lannister.
  • A man of House Swann of Stonehelm, with a sigil that looks like a white and black swan counter-charged;
  • A man of House Frey of the Twins, with the sigil portraying the Twins castle;
  • A man of House Mudd of Oldstones, with a sigil of a jewel-studded crown;
  • A man of House Strong of Harrenhal (the same one as Lord Lyonel and Harwin);
  • An old man with the given name of Beric Dondarrion—presumably the ancestor of the Beric Dondarrion from the Brotherhood Without Banners;
  • The two given focus later in the scene would be the boy that's currently the lord of House Blackwood (ravens in his collar), and his nemesis from House Bracken (red stallion in his chest).
• Good Is Not Dumb: Zig-zagged. Viserys again shows that contrary to the beliefs at court, he is not blind to the obvious political scheming that surrounds him. When Otto informs Viserys about Rhaenyra and Daemon's night out in the hopes of souring both reputations, it backfires when Viserys quickly sees the play for what it is. However, despite this, Viserys still allows himself to get played when he uses the info to exile Daemon again and force a Velaryon marriage onto Rhaenyra, and still is willing to keep Otto on the council. It ultimately takes Rhaenyra's insistence to get Viserys to finally rip the band-aid off and dismiss his "loyal" Hand.
  Viserys: Are you so sick with ambition that you would have my daughter stalked? Spied upon? Awaiting your best chance to destroy her reputation? ... You think yourself a cunning man... your designs are obvious. Do you wish to have your blood on the Iron Throne so badly that you are willing to destroy mine own?
• Hangover Sensitivity: Daemon is usually implied to be someone who parties and drinks hard (especially in previous episodes). Yet almost deflowering Rhaenyra lands him in a bedroom without his knowledge—with only Mysaria (still likely resentful for his stunt in Dragonstone) looking after him. Even as she offers him a drink to supposedly "cut the fog" in his head, he chooses to spill it and return to the Red Keep still badly sloshed. Considering this ends with King Viserys lining his dagger at his throat, he might have chosen to remain like this to appear harmless and Not Worth Killing to his brother.
• Heir Club for Men: The smallfolk watching the farcical play boo the actor playing Rhaenyra while celebrating young Aegon.
• Honorable Marriage Proposal: Daemon tries to Invoke this. He first creates the situation by allegedly taking Rhaenyra's virginity, and then tries to resolve it by asking to marry her.
  Daemon: Wed her to me. When I offered up my crown, you said I could have anything. I want Rhaenyra. I'll take her as she is, and wed her in the tradition of our house.

Unfortunately for him, rather than giving them a free pass to marry, Viserys sends Daemon away and makes Rhaenyra drink Fantasy Contraception to make sure she's not pregnant.

• Hope Spot: For Viserys's and Daemon's relationship. After being estranged for years, Daemon returns, swears fealty to Viserys, the two share a Man Hug, and fondly reminisce about their past and relationship with their mother. Unfortunately, their reconciliation goes out the window when Daemon enacts his scheme to force an Honorable Marriage Proposal with Rhaenyra, causing Viserys to have his brother banished from the capital once again, straining their relationship even more.
• Hormone-Addled Teenager: Rhaenyra is keenly aware of the dangers of childbirth thanks to her mother, and she opens the episode by saying she wishes to be single out of fear of that. This all promptly goes out the window after she's turned on. It's not quite a Gilligan Cut, but it's close. Daemon almost deflowers Rhaenyra, something she is very receptive to, but he ultimately doesn't go through with it. Left stirred up and unsatisfied, she returns to the Red Keep and redirects her attentions to her Kingsguard Criston Cole, an impulsive decision she knows could have catastrophic consequences.
• Hypocrite: Rhaenyra was angry at her Best Friend Alicent for years because Alicent had lied about having conversations with her father for six months after Aemma's death, but she has no issues covering up sex with Criston Cole and what really happened with Daemon.
• I Know You Know I Know: Daemon took Rhaenyra to the pleasure house, knowing that Otto's spies were watching, so that she would appear to be Defiled Forever when the spies reported back, with the end goal of forcing Viserys to consent to him marrying Rhaenyra.
• I'll Pretend I Didn't Hear That: While Rhaenyra is running through the street after spitting on a merchant, she gets grabbed by a suspicious Goldcloak. Luckily, the Goldcloak turns out to be Harwin Strong, who recognizes her and lets her go with a warning to be more careful.
• Innocently Insensitive: While Rhaenyra is acting friendly to Alicent again for the first time in years, Rhaenyra all but comes out and says that what she dreads most is having Alicent's life.
• Kick the Dog: Rhaenyra's dismissal of Willem Blackwood is unnecessarily cruel, especially with how she allows and encourages the audience to bully him. She doesn't seem to recognize that as a young boy, he is probably being pressured into proposing to her by older relatives or advisors, not unlike with Laena Velaryon.
• Kick Them While They Are Down: Viserys has Daemon dragged before him. He's hungover and lying, groaning, on the floor. Viserys, enraged because he thinks Daemon had sex with Rhaenyra the night before, kicks his brother.
• King Incognito: Daemon takes Rhaenyra out into the streets of King's Landing at night, both of them disguised in peasant clothes.
• Laser-Guided Karma: After manipulating the crown for years for his own ends and trying to tarnish Rhaenyra's claim for the Iron Throne, Otto finally gets his just desserts when Viserys fires him as his Hand.
• The Law of Conservation of Detail:
  • The scene of Alicent trying to soothe her fussy younger baby and holding back tears as she does so. In the real world, this wouldn't be a big deal or mean anything alarming. Many new parents have moments like this. It doesn't mean the parent isn't overall happy with their life with their new baby—it just means they're worn out, likely sleep-deprived, and having a rough day. In Alicent's case, however, this is the one and only scene of her with her kids in the whole episode—followed later by her dispassionate sex with King Viserys. Hence, it is a sign she's genuinely unhappy with her life.
  • The fact that Harwin Strong is currently serving in the City Watch says something about the current political status of the organization. If it was only truly "Daemon's private army", it would remain primarily comprised of the lowlifes of King's Landing seeking advancement or work. However, Harwin Strong (the son of the Master of Laws, no less) becoming a captain in it suggests the city (and perhaps the Small Council itself) sees the merit of building it up as a respectable institution. Daemon's success in the Stepstones, for that matter, could have also increased its reflected prestige as well.
• Lie Back and Think of England: Alicent clearly takes no pleasure in having sex with Viserys, as seen with her Thousand-Yard Stare as he humps away on top of her. But she still knows it's her duty to endure it and doesn't show her displeasure to him, giving him a fake smile when he looks at her.
• Lousy Lovers Are Losers: Alicent dreads sex with Viserys. This manifests as a Thousand-Yard Stare during their sex scene. Downplayed Trope, in that the main problem here is not Viserys's skill as a lover—it's that Alicent is obligated to have sex with a man she does not desire, who's much older than her, and who has infected wounds all over his body. She probably wouldn't be into it no matter what Viserys did. That said, Viserys doesn't seem to give any regard to satisfying his wife.
• May–December Romance: Defied. Rhaenyra is disgusted that a man older than her father would ask for her hand.
  Lord Dondarrion: The view across the Marches is inspiring, so said Queen Alysanne herself when she honored my father and I...
  Rhaenyra: And tell me, Lord Dondarrion, did you think my great-grandmother as beautiful as they say?
• More Experienced Chases the Innocent: Daemon (who frequents brothels) pursues Rhaenyra (a virgin).
• My Girl Is Not a Slut: During his audience with Viserys, Daemon justifies himself by claiming that he and Viserys both slept around in all the pleasure houses in the city when they were Rhaenyra's age, but Viserys points out that they were young men and Rhaenyra is a girl. Rhaenyra later similarly complains to Viserys about the Double Standard, as no one in the court would raise a fuss if a crown prince of Dragonstone visited brothels or even sired multiple bastards.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Rhaenyra is shaken when she sees that Lord Blackwood has mortally wounded the Bracken knight, since she may have set off the duel by finding the latter's insults against the former amusing. Blackwood, meanwhile, looks like he's about to be sick as his opponent vomits blood.
• Noble Demon: Otto Hightower may be a schemer, but essentially, he is dismissed as Hand for doing his job, reporting an iffy situation which he had no part in making.
• No, You: A serious version occurs between Viserys and Rhaenyra.
  Viserys: You will wed Ser Laenor Velaryon, and you will do so without protest.
  Rhaenyra: The son of the Sea Snake. So I can be a remedy for your political headaches.
  Viserys: You are my political headache!
• The Oathbreaker: Criston Cole breaks his Vow of Celibacy as a Kingsguard by sleeping with Rhaenyra. Doubly so, as not only are Kingsguard are meant to be celibate, but he's also responsible for her protection, which in a patriarchal society would include guarding her chastity and reputation.
• Offing the Mouth: One of Rhaenyra's suitors is Lord Blackwood, who is only a boy despite being the current head of his House. A knight from a rival House keeps throwing out insults until Blackwood pulls out his sword to defend his honor. Despite being smaller, he successfully kills the knight.
• Old Man Marrying a Child: Rhaenyra's suitor from House Dondarrion is, as she points out, older than her own father and can remember a royal visit from Good Queen Alysanne half a century ago (but not her face). Continuing to show herself to be a Rebellious Princess, rather than entertain his suit as expected in this society, Rhaenyra mocks the idea and says it was indecent of him to put himself forward.
• One-Night-Stand Pregnancy: Defied Trope by Viserys. The episode ends with a scene where Rhaenyra receives Fantasy Contraception from Grand Maester Mellos to avoid a politically inconvenient pregnancy, commanded by her own father.
• Parental Favoritism: Viserys claims that Daemon was their mother Alyssa's favorite, as she was a Tomboy Princess and Daemon was clearly the better warrior. Viserys says this quite jovially while the brothers laugh together, meaning they don't take it that seriously.
  Viserys: You were always mother's favorite. No, it's no great mystery. You were. Our mother, she had no regard for custom or tradition, rules. And I, sadly, was no great warrior.
• Personalized Pledge: Rhaenyra pulls this trope out to convince Alicent that she's telling the truth when she claims to be chaste and untouched. Made very dramatic by the fact that she's lying. When Alicent later learns it was a lie, it's implied she's more angry because of the degree to which Rhaenyra swore otherwise.
  Rhaenyra: Daemon never touched me. Okay, I swear this to you upon the memory of my mother!
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: The boy Lord Blackwood proposing to Rhaenyra challenges the Bracken knight taunting him and actually manages to kill him.
• Polyamory: Daemon tries for a second time to become a polygamist, saying the fact that he's already married to Rhea Royce is a minor issue when proposing a marriage to Rhaenyra.^note His more distant ancestors Aegon and Maegor took multiple wives, but his grandfather Jaehaerys sought to solidify monogamy to reconcile with the Faith of the Seven. Downplayed Trope, in that he's really only gunning for one wife; he and Rhea are as divorced as they can be while still being legally married.
• The Proud Elite: Rhaenyra is rather smug that the smallfolk get no say in government after seeing their sexist opposition to her as heir.
• Questionable Consent: When Rhaenyra propositions Ser Criston, it's Morton's Fork for him. If he turns down the princess, she could have him sent away or killed. If he accepts her overtures and they are caught, he could be sent to the Wall or killed. It's a parallel to what Mysaria said to Daemon in episode 2: Criston is lowborn, so if he were in trouble he'd have no connections to call upon to protect him. For all the Double Standard stuff about Rhaenyra's sexuality as a woman in other parts of the episode, in this situation Criston is risking much more than she is. With all that on the line, his ability to really choose is severely compromised, to say the least. The only word spoken aloud in the scene is, "Stop," and he looks uncomfortable and is reluctant for most of the time she spends seducing him. He also doesn't look too happy when he's sent by Alicent to ask for her in the scenes that followed, despite her glee to see him. Double Standard Rape: Female on Male also goes some ways toward allowing the coercion to be less acknowledged than it would otherwise be.
• Rebuilt Pedestal: Alicent is forgiven by her old friend Rhaenyra for marrying King Viserys, Rhaenyra's father, after realizing Alicent's pain due to this decision and her lack of choice or agency, and they become close again, with Alicent continuing to furiously defend Rhaenyra at every turn.
• Refuge in Audacity: Despite his brother's anger at the pleasure house incident, he still proposes that he marry Rhaenyra to resolve the situation. Viserys sees right through Daemon's plan and banishes him from court instead.
• Retargeted Lust: After being led on and then rebuffed by Daemon, Rhaenyra pulls Ser Criston into her bed.
• The Reveal: Mysaria, under the alias "White Worm", is revealed as Otto's informant. After delivering the intel to Otto, the urchin spy reports to Mysaria and gives her a coin.
• Right for the Wrong Reasons:
  • Viserys sends Rhaenyra a dose of Fantasy Contraception because he doesn't believe that she didn't sleep with Daemon. She didn't — but she did sleep with Criston, so the precaution is still a prudent one.
  • Viserys dismisses Otto as Hand because of one too many Contrived Coincidences in his career, first all but accusing him of killing Viserys's father so that he could replace him as Hand^note his father died suddenly of a "burst belly", most likely appendicitis but there is no evidence he had anything to do with that. Then he accuses him of spying on and following Rhaenyra to try to catch her doing something that could get her removed as heir, but it was actually Daemon who slipped that information to Otto through a third party for his own plots; he thought he was acting on accurate information when he reported it to the king. But Otto is in fact plotting to get his grandson Aegon named heir over Rhaenyra, and it's become too difficult for the king to tell if he is acting out of loyalty to the crown or to his family.
• Royal Inbreeding: Daemon wants to marry Rhaenyra, both because he's attracted to her and for the political benefits of being her consort if she becomes queen. Keeping the blood pure isn't actually much of a motive for him, but it's relevant insofar as it's part of the precedent for Targaryens incestuously marrying each other.^note Although an uncle/niece pairing's status as incestuous is borderline in their society. There are also examples of such marriages in other houses, like the union of Serena and Edric Stark. Daemon devises a plan to force Viserys to agree to the marriage. The plan fails when Viserys accuses him of coveting the crown and he ends up banished from court again.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Rhaenyra quickly leaves the room when Lord Blackwood and the Bracken knight start fighting.
• Sex Is Interesting: The writers aimed to show people having sex from Rhaenyra's perspective. To her, a virgin girl, what they do is fascinating and liberating, and she gets immediately aroused by Daemon.
• Sleeping Single: Alicent is shown to only share the king's bed when he has his servants summon her there for sex; otherwise she is granted her own chambers. Truth in Television, as separate bedrooms are a centuries-old custom in European monarchies.
• Spared by the Adaptation: House Mudd, as represented by one of them being among Rhaenyra's suitors. In the book series, they've been extinct for a thousand years.
• Sweet Polly Oliver: Rhaenyra dresses up as a boy to go into King's Landing with Daemon. Like many post-pubescent examples of the trope, she doesn't look very masculine in her disguise, just poor. She still goes unrecognized until she bumps into Harwin Strong.
• This Cannot Be!: Viserys is in denial when Otto accuses Rhaenyra of having sex with Daemon and dismisses it as slander.
• A Threesome Is Hot: The diverse sexual activities going on in the brothel include a threesome of a woman and two men.
• Time Skip: Last episode, Alicent was pregnant with her second child. In this episode, she can be seen rocking the baby to sleep. Also, Aegon is now three, meaning it’s been at least one year since the previous episode.^{From the books...} The baby in question would be Princess Helaena, secondborn child of Alicent and Viserys.
• Too Dumb to Live: The Bracken lordling who brings a dagger to a sword fight, confident because his opponent is little more than a child. He is promptly run through before even getting in range to use the dagger.
• Unequal Pairing: Ser Criston Cole is a Kingsguardsman of low birth selected by Rhaenyra to be her knight. He doesn't have much in the way of options in refusing her advances, making it a Leonine Contract.
• Vertical Power Play: King Viserys tries to assert his authority over his irreverent Big Little Brother Prince Daemon. This involves Daemon laying flat on the floor, a hungover mess, while Viserys literally stands over him and chastises him.
• Virgin Tension: Rhaenyra possibly losing her virginity, in a whorehouse at that, is treated as a tragedy by Viserys and Alicent (who are worried for her), while Otto is quietly pleased about it (because it could result in tarnishing Rhaenyra's reputation).
• Wall Bang Her: Daemon almost bangs Rhaenyra from behind against the wall in the pleasure house.
• Warrior Prince: For claiming victory against the Triarchy in the War of the Stepstones, some begin to call Prince Daemon "King of the Narrow Sea" and he was even crowned. ^{From the books...} It was specifically Corlys Velaryon who placed the crown on his head.

---